Rockmart fast food restaurant fails health inspection with a score of 65

A Captain D’s restaurant in Rockmart received a failing score of 65 during a routine health inspection last month, with inspectors finding more than a dozen violations — including an employee who handled raw chicken and then put on gloves to prepare food without washing their hands.

The Georgia Department of Public Health inspection took place April 30. A score below 70 is considered unsatisfactory. A follow-up inspection is scheduled for today.

The Handwashing Violation

The most serious violation of the inspection — worth 9 points — involved a food safety fundamental: handwashing.

According to the inspection report, an inspector watched an employee walk from the front of the restaurant carrying a chemical spray bottle, grab a container of raw chicken to throw away, and then put on gloves and begin handling corn on the cob in the kitchen — all without washing their hands. The employee washed their hands after the inspector intervened.

Inspectors also found the handwashing sink in the main kitchen had no paper towels. An employee restocked the sink during the inspection.

Food Storage and Contamination

Inspectors found food stored improperly throughout the restaurant.

Multiple items — including popcorn shrimp, raw fish, raw chicken and gumbo — were found uncovered in the reach-in freezer, reach-in cooler, prep top cooler and walk-in cooler. The person in charge covered the items during the inspection.

Fish stored in the lower portion of the prep top cooler was sitting in water that had leaked from the unit. A box of crab was found sitting directly on the floor of the walk-in freezer. The person in charge threw out the contaminated fish and moved the crab off the floor.

Chemical Storage and Sanitation

Inspectors cited the restaurant twice for issues involving chemicals — both were repeat violations.

A sanitizer bucket was found sitting on top of a reach-in cooler countertop, where it could contaminate food and equipment. An employee removed it during the inspection. A follow-up visit on May 5 found the bucket stored 6 inches off the ground.

Food-contact surfaces, including counters and the interiors of coolers, were not clean to sight and touch. An ice scoop for the bulk ice machine was stored on top of a surface that also was not clean. Both were repeat violations. A follow-up visit on May 5 found all surfaces had been cleaned.

Pest Entry and Outdoor Waste

Inspectors found daylight visible at the bottom of the back door in the main kitchen — a gap that could allow insects and rodents to enter the building. That violation had not been corrected as of the inspection date.

The outdoor dumpster had no lid and its door was left open. It was also missing a drain plug. Both issues were flagged for follow-up. A May 5 check found the lid in place and the drain plug installed.

Other Violations

Inspectors also noted floors, walls and equipment surfaces covered in grease and food debris. A follow-up visit on May 5 found those surfaces had been cleaned.

A food employee was found working in the kitchen without a hair restraint — a repeat violation. The employee put on a hair net during the inspection.

Multiple plastic trays were found wet-stacked near the three-compartment sink rather than being allowed to air dry. The person in charge rearranged them during the inspection.